


His Melinda, Her Phil

by nightsisterkaris



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 17:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20510906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsisterkaris/pseuds/nightsisterkaris
Summary: After jemma figures out time travel, Daisy retrieves a version of Coulson that survived. thus is how May deals with that.





	His Melinda, Her Phil

**Author's Note:**

> The finale ending made me wonder if Simmons has figured out time travel, and consequently, this happened.  
Warning: MENTIONS OF SELF HARM  
PS: There is like, no plot at all

_ The man stood alone._

_ Jemma was only allowing people who worked in the medical field into the room where Melinda May was being woken up. The warrior woman had undergone insanely advanced treatment in order to save her life._

_ But Daisy had been let in._

_ He waits until Jemma is yelling at someone in the hallway before squeezing through the door and stepping into the freezing cold room._

_ It's quiet. The cyro-chamber glows a steady indigo blue and silver, and Melinda is slowly breathing in and out._

_ The intruder walks slowly over, looking down at her delicate peaceful form. Jemma has cleaned the blood from her face. She's like ice._

_ He can see her eyes move under her eyelids, her fingers twitch. Jemma mentioned she was supposed to be alone to allow her body to wake up._

_ "Phil..." Melinda was speaking. She took a bigger breath, her swollen lips prying themselves apart again, "I didn't know I deserved Heaven."_

_ "Heaven?" Phil blinked, "what?"_

_ "I missed you. I just wanted to see you again, love." Melinda's voice was raspy and harsh._

_ "No, Melinda, this isn't Heaven. We saved you." Phil grinned, going against his better judgement and taking her ice cold hand._

_ "No. This must be a cruel joke. I was ready, ready to go, to see you again." Melindas eyes finally opened. "This must be a nightmare then."_

_ "No." Melinda wiggled, in obvious distress. "Is this Hell? Have I woken up to Hell? Tell me!"_

_ "Stop! You're still healing!"_

_ "What are you?" Melinda glared._

_ "Agent Phil Coulson?"_

_ "No. Impossible. My Phil, he-" Melinda coughed, and she shuddered with the pain of expanding her lungs and the intensity of stretching her midsection._

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "My Phil is dead!" Melinda burst, tears brimming in her eyes, "What is this? The framework again?!?"_

_ "No. But I can assure you I'm not dead. I'm right here. Is there anything I can do for you?" He asks as another tear slips down her pale face._

_ "Leave. Just leave." Melinda shakes, and pulls her hand from Phil's, rejecting him._

_ "What are you doing in here?!" Jemma bursts through the door, "her heart rate rose and was far outside of where it should have been for de-cryoization!"_

_ "I'm sorry!" Phil said. "I just wanted to see her."_

_ "Get out. You don't belong here right now. She wasn't supposed to see you yet!" Daisy orders him go. She turns to May, "Calm down. It's okay. Jemmas got you."_

_ "What was that?" May rasped._

_ "Coulson. We sort of brought him back-"_

_ "What was that?!"_

_ "An LMD Cronicom." Daisy answers and May just lays there, oh so silent. There is nothing Daisy can say._

_ "I was ready to see him." May blatantly says._

_ "I know." Daisy nods._

_ "Then why did you stop me? Why did you save me?"_

_ "I needed my mom." Daisy replied, "my father figure was dead, I couldn't lose my mother too."_

_ "I was ready. I just want to go home, Daisy." May paused. "I'm so tired. I'm tired of spilling myself out and having it crushed. I'm tired of loving Phil and paying for it. I'm tired of this. I just want peace."_

_ Daisy is quiet for a moment, "go back to sleep, May." Daisy stops, resisting the tears threatening to pour down her face, "just go to sleep, May."_

\--- -:x:- ---

She's standing alone.

Daisy had contacted her four hours ago as soon as they had reached Earths atmosphere.

Daisy had found Phil.

Well, _a_ Phil.

Through the dimensions and the alternate realities and timelines, Daisy had managed to find a version of Phil who had survived but had lost the world. A version that had been drifting alone in the zephyr that had survived Earth's destruction, who was the last of humanity. His version of the team was dead. There was no hope for him. He was more than happy to join them.

Jemma has also explained that he was healthy and safe. Somehow her alternate self had saved Phil earlier. That was the only difference besides the loss of Earth.

So Melinda has been standing in the hanger for four hours.

Mack had brought her lunch a while ago, since then she hasn't moved. Eyes watching the lighthouse hanger ceiling, waiting.

"This is SHIELD zephyr 1, returning with agent Coulson, requesting landing?" Daisy's voice came through the speaker.

May had never hit a button as hard.

As soon as the shield aircraft landed, she took a deep breath. Steam hissed and suddenly the ramp lowered. Daisy was proudly walking down the way, Fitzsimmons running up to meet her, hand in hand. Mack was embracing an awkward Enoch, lifting him off the ground.

And there he was.

Time slowed and Melinda bit her lip, standing her ground.

Phil was grinning, chatting with Daisy and slapping Mack on the back, seeming to not notice her. Phil was dressed in blue. Then he looked up at her and smiled, not breaking eye contact as he walked.

As soon as Phil was standing before her, Melinda just stared. "It's been a year." She breathed.

"I know." Just his voice!

"I'm not sure if I want to slap you or kiss you."

"How about this-" Phil mumbled before one hand pulled her in at the waist and the other cupped her chin. He kissed her, and kissed her hard._How she's missed this!_

"Uhhhhh..." Daisy giggled.

Phil rested his forehead on hers when they broke away, "Melinda-"

"Shhhhh." She whispered and pressed her finger to his lips, "later, when we talk."

"Of course." Phil nodded, his hand not leaving her waist. They turned to face the others. Daisy licked her lips, "well, now that this has been resolved, who wants a beer?"

"Daisy." Mack warned, "Remember May has been-"

"I won't drink any, Mack." May shook her head. Phil frowned. "Wh-" his words died on his lips when May looked at him. "Someone update me on the last year and a half." Phil shrugged. Everyone froze. May's hand leapt to her rib. Agents exchanged concerned glances.

"There was an alternate version of you who was basically the god of death and he tried to take over the world with space bats and his pink haired not-girlfriend and then he impaled May before I quaked him back into his Hell-portal." Daisy spit it out.

Phil blinked.

"Daisy!" Mack rubbed his forehead.

"What? No one was answering, so I did." The inhuman shrugged.

"I'll explain everything." May promised. Phil looked concerned when she flinched as he touched her back. His hand fell. She grabbed it.

The team went inside, May forcing herself to keep her breathing even and her steps steady. Phil grabbed her shoulder. He always knew when something was off.

"Come on." May pulled him away from the rest of the team, Daisy winked, clearly giving them her blessing.

Making it to the corridor where her bunk was, Melinda was surprised to see Piper run with an armload of sheets out of her room, close the door, and give a little smirk and a wave before leaving. Melinda rolled her eyes when she pushed the door open and saw that Piper had snatched away her old cot, and replaced it with a newer mattress, including better sheets and an extra pillow Melinda was pretty sure was too nice to be standard issue.

The fact that Piper had assumed Phil would be sleeping with her was both alarming and considerate. Phil followed her in. "My May died."

"My Coulson is dead too." Melinda said.

"I guess we have each other then, huh?" Phil shrugged.

May closed the door behind her, "I guess so." She said slowly.

"How did it go?" Phil looked up at her. "Daisy said that your version of me was never cured."

May took a breath. He deserved to know. "He was happy." She nodded, "we went to-"

"Tahiti?" Phil finished.

"Three weeks, four days, seven hours." Melinda told him.

Phil nodded. They stood in silence. "So where did our timelines split?" Phil asked. "I was cured right after we got back from Quovas's ship."

"You took the cure?"

"I did. As soon as I watched you leave the room, I knew I couldn't walk away from you like that. Only an hour later we were on the Zephyr. I kissed you good luck and then thirty minutes later the building fell. You were still inside with Mack and Fitz." May listened until he was done, then ran her hand down his arm.

"You look tired." She said. "I hope my Phil wouldn't mind-"

Suddenly Jemma knocked on the door. "Are you hungry?"

May let the biochemist in, the woman carrying two small trays of food. "Mack made baked Macaroni. Thought you all might like some." Jemma smiled.

"Thank you, Simmons." Phil said, "sorry, do you go by Fitzsimmons now or... Jemma?"

"Jemma is fine, sir." The woman handed him the food. Phil sat down on the bed. Jemma stalled, waiting a second before saying, "if you go by the rules of time travel, you are still the same people to each other, up until the timelines split. Everything is the same until that point. Same thoughts, actions... emotions." At that Jemma gulped and turned around, backing out. "Daisy wants to talk, is that ok?" Jemma asked.

Melinda looked to Phil before nodding. Jemma left and Daisy came in, "Please, I want to know what happened to us in your dimension."

Phil froze. He seemed to go into his head. "I saw the building collapse from the Zephyr. Jemma and Yo-yo ran out to try to help, leaving me behind with the plane on auto pilot. I watched the cracks become chasms, the chasms become empty space. General Talbot lost control." Phil told her. "I drifted in space watching the Earth break around me until the zephyr landed in the lighthouse, but everyone and everything was demolished." Phil pauses. May placed her hand on his chest. "Then your transmission came through. I thought it was Daisy, but it was a different Daisy. Your hair is blonde."

"New addition." Daisy smiles. "I read your letter. I'm sorry."

"Letter? _Oh._ That." Phil says, "Here's my first draft I wrote before I was cured. I've been carrying it around." Phil dug into his jacket pocket and handed her a piece of folded paper.

Daisy's eyes went wide. She took it, glancing up at him, "well, I'll leave now so that you and May can get at it."

Phil didn't have time to reply before Daisy was up and gone. May blinked. She wasn't exactly opposed to the idea... She distracted herself by eating her macaroni. She continued to sneak glances, and when she caught his gaze she knew he was too.

"What happened to you?" Phil asked. "Daisy's explanation was confusing."

"You died next to me in Tahiti a year ago." May said, "I was there until the very end." Phil sympathized, sighing with empathy.

"Just as she said earlier." May sighed, "a God of Death named Pachakutiq that went by 'Sarge', and looked like you, decided to come to Earth chasing these space bats called Shrike. His fellow goddess of Death tried to help him release all these other Incan Gods and they failed after I stabbed izel after Sarge impaled me." May said.

"You were actually impaled?" Phil asked again. May stood up, slowly crossing her arms over her stomach and gripping the hem of her shirt. She watched his reaction when she slowly lifted the fabric up and over her head. Melinda winced when her wound stretched with her movements.

Phil stares at the wrapping of bandages and padding on her stomach and back. Melinda took a breath, "I was in the cyrochamber until Jemma used something she brought from another place in time to heal me well enough so that I would live."

"What... what was injured?"

"Jemma told me my Pancreas was almost completely shredded, my liver, two ribs, and my kidney were all lacerated. And Jemma thinks I lost about four liters of blood." Melinda whispered. Phil looked eyes with her before reaching out to touch the bandages.

"You're better now?" He breathed.

"Lil bit."

"I'm so sorry."

"Not as bad as what happened to you." Melinda's fingers graced his jaw.

Phil leaned toward her wound, "I'm so sorry he did that to you. I can only imagine what it was like seeing such an evil man look just like me after your version died." Phil gently pressed his lips to the bandages. Melinda's breath hitches when he kisses her stomach.

"I'm allowed to take them off tomorrow." Melinda told him and kissed Phil's forehead.

"Do you think my May would want..." he sighed.

"Jemma said there is truly no difference." Melinda shrugged, "but it still seems different." May paused, "I know that no matter what universe, I would only want to best for you. For you to be happy, no matter who brought you that joy."

Phil nodded.

Another knock came at the door. Melinda panicked when she recognized it. She barely had time to warn the visitor away before the door was open.

There stood the LMD cronicom of Coulson. "Melinda!" He was smiling widely, but that grin quickly fell when he saw Real Phil's hands on Melinda's naked waist, her lips to his forehead and her warm hands holding his face close.

The two identical looking men stared each other down. "Who are you?" Real Phil said.

"Agent Phil Coulson." The Cronicom answered without missing a beat.

"No." Real Phil shook his head.

"I apologize for the intrusion, I was wondering if-"

"What is this, May?" Real Phil interrupted. His hands fell from her sides.

May winced when he asked. "Daisy missed you. She wanted you back so she and Jemma... took your brain scan from the framework, updated it, and built this with an alien anthropologist who is, by the way, a synthetic being."

"You have an LMD _sex_bot?" Phil blanched, "_that looks like me_?"

"It's _not_ a sexbot." Melinda rolled her eyes. "It thinks it's you." She added, "it thinks _like_ you."

"This is crazy." Real Phil kept staring, "I don't-"

"Know what to think?" The robot sighed, "well, most days, neither do I." The robot walked over, the same gait in its steps, "I have emotions. Feelings in my chest that represent love. I know that one of the strongest thoughts given to me is to protect my team: my family. I have a personal mission to keep Daisy out of harms way. I have a desire to sleep beside, hold, and live with Agent May. I am programmed to be you. But I cannot take who I love from the man that rightfully loved her first."

Melinda twitched when Real Phil stood, "you..."

"I came to say goodbye, Melinda. I heard that Daisy said she wants to shut me down now that she has your Phil back. So I came to say goodbye." The Cronicom stuck out his hand.

Melinda reluctantly shook it. She noticed the robot didn't glance down at her exposed chest. A true gentleman.

The robot turned to Phil, "The Cronicom parts of me are programmed with synthetic choice making skills. I want to let you know that the pros to telling Melinda how you feel greatly outweigh to cons."

"Thank you for taking care of May for me then." Phil shook his copy's hand. The Cronicom nodded with a small smile, and began to leave. Then he turned back, stalked over, and grabbed Phil's hands, placed them back at Mays waist, and her hands on his face. "There. Now I was never here."

With that, The Cronicom left, closing the door behind him.

Phil stared at her. "This is a lot to come to."

"Maybe." May agreed, "I just... I can't imagine being asked to join a separate timeline."

"I'm just glad to have you back." Phil said slowly, "can we stop being interrupted now?" He rhetorically commented, "now tell me about Tahiti."

Melinda took a slow, deep breath. Phil lowered his hands from her and she sat down next to him on the bed. "We were happy." She said, "wine and sand and sun all day. Then we would go back to the cabin for the night." Melinda paused, "you know you would make jokes about my snoring?"

"What? No."

"I would help you make breakfast. You insisted on cooking as much as you could. At one point you said, 'I'm not passing up the chance to be a normal person for once.' So several days later I was holding you up."

"Thank you for staying with the other me." Phil said. "What was your favorite part?"

"Being completely blissed out after parasailing."

"We went parasailing? That's doesn't sound like something we would- _oh_." Phil stumbles over his words after Melinda gave him a flat look.

"You really think we only kissed?"

"I didn't want to bring it up."

"You didn't know." Melinda shrugged. "Just promise me you won't die any time soon?"

"I'll do my best." Phil promised, touching her shoulder.

-:x:-

"Adjusting well enough?" Daisy asked, pouring herself another bowl of Frosted Flakes.

"I think so." Phil nodded. "What are you doing up at two in the morning?"

"I'll ask the same question. Did May wear you out?" Daisy poured a splash of milk into the bowl, lifting the first spoonful to her mouth.

"What are you implying?" Phil asked, fishing through the cabinets.

Daisy waved her spoon in the air. "Y'know." Daisy shrugged, "knocking boots?"

"Sorry, May is very protective of her boot collection. I'd be injured if I ruined them."

"Very funny, Coulson." Daisy took another bite. There was a silence in the dim kitchen. Phil found a box of crackers, sitting down at the counter with Daisy. "It's almost like my version of you never died."

Daisy purses her lips, "It's strange having you back." She said, "it was weird having a robot version of you and knowing it wasn't you when he acted, thought, and spoke like you."

"Its weird seeing a mirror image of myself." Phil said, "did May... was May ever... Did she and the Cronicom LMD..."

"No." Daisy sighed, "she was horrified at first. Thought she woke up in the framework or even Hell."

"Jemma mentioned May _died_." Phil said slowly. "I want to hear this from you."

"After Sarge betrayed her, he impaled then threw her into a Hell dimension. I know she fought Izel and she stumbled back through in time to save me. She was too weak, and collapsed soon after we destroyed them. May begged that there was something left of you in Sarge, but when I fought him, it was clear he was not you in any way. But May just wanted to see you again, and she said, 'maybe I'll see him again soon.'"

Phil bit his tongue in thought. "Do you think she'd be comfortable with any... advancements?"

Daisy spit out her cereal. "Of course! I_ think_." Then muttered under her breath, "_Don't ask me for permission to bang her_..."

"Any topics I should avoid?" Phil ignored her last comment.

"I can't believe Dad is asking advice on _Woo_ing Mom."

"Daisy-"

"Fine, fine. Well, _dying_." Daisy shrugged.

"Fair point." Phil agreed. "Anything else?"

"Get her some Haig. She would like that."

"More Haig?" Phil blinked. "In my timeline, after Fitzsimmons wedding, I paid Deke back for the bottle and May and I shared it."

"Well, that didn't happen in ours." Daisy informed him, "Deke couldn't find any Haig."

"Worth a shot, I guess."

"Pun intended?" Daisy quirked.

"Absolutely." Phil nodded. He took out four extra crackers before closing the box, "I'm going to bed. You should too." He told Daisy, standing up and returning the box to the cabinet. He smiled to Daisy before disappearing down the Hall.

He softly opened the door to May's room. He contently sighed at the sight of the small form curled up under the covers. It was a miracle she was still asleep.

"You alright?"

Never mind, she was awake.

Phil hummed a reply, once again shedding his shirt and crawling into bed next to her. "I love you." Phil whispered to her drowsy form.

"Love you too." She responded, rolling over to lay next to him.

Phil ran his hand up her side to keep the pressure off her wound, and settled down for the night.

-:x:-

  
"Slowly, carefully." Simmons's instructed, "if I think it's not healed, I will replace the bandages for the next few days."

Melinda hissed when the first layer of gauze broke away from her skin. It tore scabs and sticky fluid, stinging as it went.

Phil stood beside her while she sat on the hospital bed, holding her hand when she sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.

"There." Jemma peeled away the last little bit, and stepped back to look. She took a breath before saying, "I think it'll need a little protection for several days, but you can take it off to shower and such."

"How's it look?" May asked Phil, afraid to look down.

"We both have scars." Phil said. "Welcome to the shush-ka-bob club."

"May just raised an eyebrow before bending slightly you to look down. A nasty looking wound was what she expected, but somehow with Jemma's technology and treatment, only a thick pink scar remained. It was almost a Keloid, but she could deal with that.

"Oh." Was all May could say before Jemma was wrapping new, clean gauze around her belly and clipping it off. She took a deep breath, "am I safe to train? Do normal activities? Do anything else?"

"If you're asking me if you can have relations with Coulson, then yes." Jemma bluntly said. "Just be careful please."

"Thank you, Jemma." Phil blushed.

"No problem." Jemma crossed her arms uncomfortably, "is there anything else?"

"Yes." May started.

"No." Phil told her, then realized May had disagreed.

May gave him a look before saying, "did you evaluate Phil?"

"No. He never came into my lab for his checkup." Jemma smirked.

May gently shoved him forward. "Your turn."

"Thanks for exposing me, May." Phil rolled his eyes.

"Love you too." May smiled with satisfaction.

As soon as Jemma drew some blood for testing, she began asking questions about his heart and the black lines. Phil happily explained that he felt fine. But May could tell there was more on his mind.

"Thanks again." Phil nodded to Jemma when he hopped off the table and Jemma reported he was fine, although needed to watch his blood sugar.

"No more cap'n crunch for you." Melinda told him smugly.

-:x:-

He was crying.

Melinda has rarely witnessed Phil cry, but he's right there, sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. Melinda softly approached him, sitting down next to the weeping man, "You okay?" She whispered.

"I lost you." Phil shuddered, "I lost you and Daisy and Jemma and Fitz and Mack... even little Robin."

"But you have us now."

"Still, another timeline and I failed you guys. I selfishly took what Daisy needed to save the world in attempt to save you but..."

Melinda ran her hand over his back. "But we're together now. That's all that matters." She promised.

"I watched the building fall. I heard Robin scream your name over the intercom. I-" Phil broke, shaking in Melindas arms. May held him closer.

"And I watched you die." She added. "We failed each other, but we still pulled through. If there's anything that the last two years taught me, it's that love is worth the pain it brings."

"I don't want to fail you this time. It's my... fourth chance? And I don't wanna blow it again." Phil told her, trying to swallow the tears.

"You won't." May reassured, "And we're together. That's all that matters."


End file.
